The War Within
by Chief Sanity
Summary: Russian conspirators throw the U.S. into another civil war, and a group of resistance fighters must reunite the shattered union before it is too late. Please read and review.
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer:** I don't own freedom fighters.

**My Notes: **This game is inspired by freedom fighters so it won't follow the story line nor will there be characters from it. This is my first fic so go a little easy on me alright. But any way, I hope you enjoy this and please R&R

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856 

**January 6, 2017 Outskirts of Detroit Michigan (Post war)**

Here in this wasteland of deserted buildings that was once my home town, I revisit a time from my past. A time filled with hardship, misery, death, and destruction. A time felt by this nation only once before. Times have changed, and so have the surroundings.

I remember how my neighborhood used to be. The school just across the street from my parent's house was once busy as could be, and stores were always within walking distance. The neighbors were always nice, 'well, mostly,' and the area flowed with a sense of relative safety and security. There were people, trees, and life everywhere you could see.

Now rubble litters the empty streets, and silence fills the heavy, dust clogged air. My once quaint suburban neighborhood is now leveled. My home, grade school, nothing was spared from destruction, save for the church that still stands albeit for the hole in its western wall. I trod over the fractured concrete that was once a road, and look up into the dark, choking smog that once used to be clear blue skies. The bitter cold wind whistled, stirring up some more dust into the air.

I then took the time to listen as the wind whistled by, then it slowed, bringing a period of utter silence. This silence only reinforced the eerie feeling that the wasteland overwhelmingly produced. I walk these empty streets, the neighborhood now a dull gray. The once lush city park is no more. Only splintered stumps of trees remained, as if they were the grave markers of the dead in a cold and lonely cemetery, A jumbled mass of twisted metal that was once a children's playground, stands as if it were a monument to this desolate city.

I climb to the top of a nearby hill in order to get a better view of the surroundings, buildings were leveled everywhere within ten miles. It seemed that the world had come to an end. My gaze wanders off to the east. What was once a bustling cityscape, was now an immense, empty, glassy smooth bowl in the ground off in the distance.

There was lifelessness everywhere, not even the birds dared to enter here. As if it were a cursed and forsaken land that death himself seemed to rule over. It was cold, desolate, lonely…

Everything used to be so simple at one point in history. It seemed so long ago when there was at least some peace in this world. But now there is nothing but the stench of destruction. As I pass through this deserted city, pocket marked with craters and demolished buildings, my mind wanders…

Three years ago, constant pressure on the nation's economy led to more and more riots and uprisings. Anti political groups were becoming more aggressive, and rumors of a secret coupe against the government were passing through the states. Others, like my uncle, who seemed to always talk about these things, were worried of a greater, more menacing threat that seemed to be looming ever closer to our unsuspecting population. A threat that would bring ruin to us all.

This never really concerned me at first; apart from the coupe there had always been something going on in this country, I just didn't pay much attention, although I probably should have. But that all changed…

I remember how it all came to pass, the war that tore this once magnificent nation apart. A war that began, not from a foreign power, or terrorist group in the shadows. This was a war of feuding states. This was a war within the country itself. And this war succeeded in nothing but the death and destruction of its own people. Blood was shed amongst those once united, and allies turned on each other in a state of panic and chaos, leaving nothing but a shattered union. This was the Civil War anew.

And with it came the loss of homes, families, friends. The death of millions in acts of senseless violence. The destruction of many parts of the country, and the once proud fabric of patriotism that it at one point held so dear.

And when the U.S. was in complete disarray, an enemy lying in wait in the shadows attacked and threatened to conquer the tattered remnants of the once united states.

Three years ago…

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**More Of My Notes: **Yeah that's the end for now. Hope you liked it.


	2. Armageddon

**Disclaimer:** I do not own freedom fighters. Don't get that idea.

**I Am The Author And These Are My Notes:**Yay it's chapter one! I plan to have some sort of foreshadowing event in the 3rd person at the begining of each chapter from now on.

Please R&R. Don't make me ask again!

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856 

**January 6, 2014. 1025 hours. A military base in California**

A phone rings, "Hello?" said a deep throaty voice.

"You have what you need General. I believe it ish time for the operashion to begin." The voice on the other line clearly wasn't fluent in English.

"Yes sir. I will do my part as long as you stick with your end of the bargain."

"Oh, don't worry General. You have nowthing to be afraid off." Said the voice, still struggling with his English.

"Good." An evil sneer appeared on the General's face as he hung up the phone. "Lieutenant!" He shouted at a nearby officer.

"Sir!" The Lieutenant snapped to attention.

"Contact the Leviathan and tell them to commence the operation."

"Yes sir!"

"We have a little something special planned for today, and I don't want a delay."

The Lt. saluted and left the room, while the General said to himself,

"Yes, we have planned something very special indeed."

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January 6, 2014. 1100 hours. Dearborn Heights 'Outskirts of Detroit' . **

It was a perfect winter day, the sky was clear, the air was crisp and fresh, the snow was pure white, and I was visiting my parents because of my break from work that day. My parent's house was one of those corner houses, it was a small one story, red brick house in the middle of a usually quiet neighborhood. I had lived there all my life along with my two brothers and my sister, until I graduated and moved a few miles away. As for my siblings, they had moved all over the state and I rarely had a chance to speak with them. It seemed that the only people I had left were my friends and my parents.

I had just left the house to go for a walk in this beautiful winter weather, leaving my father inside watching the news. The snow gave a soft squashing sound with each step I took. I listened to the rhythm of my steps and reminisced a little about my life after high school. I remembered the graduation, and how someone convinced a pizza delivery guy to bring fifteen pizzas to the assembly! After that however, most of us drifted apart and went our separate ways. Now I only stay in contact with four of what used to be an unimaginable amount of people. Drew, Justin, Phil, and Bernadette, who was on her way back to the city that day for her two week vacation from the Air Force.

It seemed that nothing could ruin that seemingly perfect day… I was wrong.

I heard the front door of the house slam open and my father rushed out towards me. My father was just a little shorter than I was, about five feet six inches, and had thick gray-black hair and dark brown eyes that seemed to look deep into your soul. He had a slight beer belly but remained relatively strong overall. In fact, he looked a lot like an older version of my younger brother. He a usually tough, serious, strong willed person, could rarely be seen in a state of fear. Which is why when he came rushing out of the house towards me with that look of sheer terror on his face, I knew something was wrong.

He said in a voice so shaky that I almost didn't understand him. "On… on the news… radical officers… took the Pacific states… and… and…"

"And what?" I said, "Just say it." I could feel a well of fear growing in the pit of my stomach, for what he said next shook me to the core.

"And they launched… a nuke… Towards Detroit."

I suddenly felt my body grow numb. "No way… no way in hell is this happening!" I thought. I looked at my father, hoping he wasn't serious, but the look on his face said it all.

"How much time?" I could barely speak, my throat had an ever growing knot in it.

"What?" my father said.

"How much time before the missile hits?" I forced myself to stay calm although I knew we were doomed.

"Three minutes. We only have three minutes."

"Damn it!" I screamed, "We'll never make it out of here in time! We are as good as dead!"

Our neighbors must have heard the news too, because everyone was scrambling to their cars in a seemingly futile attempt to escape the blast area from the thousands of tons of explosive power that was on its way to annihilate the city. My father and I rushed into the house to get my mother out into the van so we could get as far from the city as possible. Maybe, just maybe we could get far enough away so we could survive.

"What's going on?" my mother asked. She had a confused look on her face since she never heard the news.

She was a short woman, and the times had finally begun to catch up with her. She had dark brown-hazel eyes, and ever since she saw the first strand of gray in her hair, she had dyed it reddish-brown.

"There's no time to explain, just get to the car now!" my father said in his frantic voice.

Time seemed to slow to a crawl as we rushed to the van. We had to slow down as we realized we had to help my mother because she had a bad leg from a car accident from a few years back. The seconds ticked by excruciatingly slowly. However, I knew deep inside that it wouldn't work. There was just no way that anyone would be able to survive a nuclear attack.

I glanced in the direction towards Downtown Detroit, thinking about how may millions would lose their lives today in some psycho officers' insane plans for whatever their demented ideas were.

One second later the sky turned a blinding white. It was a brightness that fazed out the sun and consumed the mid day sky. The nuke's shockwave then ripped through the suburb. The roar of its approach was deafening, it was a subsonic roar that shook the very ground beneath my feet. I screamed but couldn't hear a single word… then it struck. The wave of air blasted me into a tree and I felt the feeling in my whole body vanish as I collapsed onto the soil. As I fazed in out of consciousness, I saw first hand the force of the most powerful weapon in the military's arsenal. Buildings imploded, trees tore in half, and the concrete streets were ruptured as if struck by a force 5 earthquake.

I laid there for uncountable hours, constantly alternating between periods of the darkness of unconsciousness, and times of sleepy alertness. "God… why?" I remember saying.

I was beginning to completely black out. I felt death's encroaching presence all around me. And as my mind began to finally slip away, I heard a faint voice. "Over hear! We've found another one…"

From that horrendous moment on, Detroit as we knew it, ceased to exist.

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**Notes From Me: **Yup, that's it for now, and don't get mad cause Detroit is gone, I have nothing against Detroit OK, it's just a plot point. 

If you want more of the story, then do this... open the next page!


	3. Back to Reality

**Disclaimer:** I don't own freedom fighters. It would be cool if i did.

**Notes By Me: **New chapter! For those of you that don't like dialogue then don't bother reading.

Just kidding! Please R&R!

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856.

**January 8, 2014. 1350 hours. Military HQ in Wisconsin**

"Sir!" A young Lieutenant walked into the state Commander's office carrying a small data pad. "There is an important message from the General in California."

The Commander's face paled, for he feared the fate of a nuclear strike was in store for Wisconsin.

"Y-yes, yes… Well? Let's hear it!" He stormed.

The officer pushed a button on a data pad, and a throaty voice reverberated inside the small room.

"State Commander in Wisconsin. This is the General of the Coalition of Independent States. I give you a proposition. You may either join us in our campaign, or you will be ruthlessly destroyed. I will give you two days to decide, I hope you will make the right decision."

Then the speaker snapped off, leaving the officer and the Commander in a state of shock.

"What should we do sir?" asked the Lieutenant.

"Do? We do what is necessary Lieutenant." He paused as he thought out his next decision. "Get me through to the rest of the forces in Wisconsin, I have to make an announcement."

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January 9, 2014. 1900 hours. 1st Hospital of Livonia **

As I came too, I realized that I wasn't out by my house anymore. I was in some hospital.

"Where am I?" I groaned.

Some doctor there spoke, "You are in the 1st Hospital of Livonia, quite a ways away from were you were found. And don't worry, you'll be all right, you didn't sustain any serious injuries from the blast. Just a concussion that knocked you into unconsciousness a few days ago."

"What about my family?" I was worried that they didn't survive.

However, he said "They are fine and at the moment are being held at a different hospital across town since we ran out of room here. Like you, they were knocked out cold form the force of the shockwave, but suffered nothing serious like broken bones, or otherwise."

I breathed a sigh of relief after hearing that they were alright.

"And you should be out of here by tomorrow morning."

"Well that's good and all but…"

The doctor left the room just as I was about to finish.

As I laid there in the hospital bed watching the news for any info about why this happened. "You know, a motive or something." A thought occurred to me. "What about my friends? Were they alright? Did anyone die during the attack?" I had to know.

Oddly enough, a few of them were already there. I was so happy to see them. Drew Burnham and Justin Popovski. Both were relatively tall and had some athletic qualities to them. Drew had short, dirty blonde hair, and aqua eyes. He was a very quiet individual and would more often then not be seen quietly working away on some project. Justin was more talkative, he had brownish-black hair with a unique streak of blonde mixed in, brownish eyes, and a nose that resembled a crows beak. They were close friends of mine ever since high school.

They were still a little shaken from the incident, I didn't blame them. After all, a nuke was just dropped in a city near our town!

It was Justin that began the conversation. "Are you alright?" He sounded genuinely concerned for once.

"Yeah I'm fine." I was just glad to see them. "So do you know what's up with the renegade military officers and why they did this?" I was hoping to get an answer, and I did, but not an answer that I wanted to hear.

"Yeah, we know about them. Some generals were working with those conspirators and used the armed forces under their command in the West to take California, Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, and well… just about every other western state, calling themselves the Coalition. Then they threatened to nuke any one that wouldn't join them, we were used as an example. Now the West has declared war on the East, and they plan to take the whole country by force."

I stared at him in disbelief. "Why?" I said to them.

This time Drew answered, "We don't know much, something about restoring the economy and fixing what they think to be a defective government system." We all knew that couldn't be it.

"That's a load of bull shit!" I said, "And what's the president doing about this."

Drew stared at me like I was a clueless child… well I was pretty clueless. "There is no more president. They hit Washington D.C. just after Detroit was nuked, and then they also destroyed Chicago."

"You have got to be fucking kidding me! There is no way that that could have happened!"

"Well it did, and now you have to live with it no matter how bad it is!" Justin shot.

"Great!" I said sarcastically, "Now we practically have another civil war starting up. Damn this sucks!"

"You got that right. I just hope that nothing else happens here in Michigan." Justin said.

"Alright! You two have to leave now. Visiting hours are over." A nurse called from the hallway.

"Right, well we better get going."

"I'll see you two later."

It turned out to be five days of shit before those words came true, because the Coalition was not yet done with Michigan yet… there was much more to come.

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**More Notes From Me: **Yeah I know. It's just dialogue. But it gets better! 

And I can't respond to reviewers in my story because that's the way it is.


	4. Open the War

**Disclaimer:** I don't own this game. I never have and I never will!

**My notes:** Yay new chapter! This is the chapter when the war actually starts. Now do me a favor and please R&R!

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856 

**January 10, 2014. 0600 hours. Mc Neely AFB Wisconsin**

"I can't believe we're doing this, you know?" A special forces trooper of the 41st airborne division said to his other squad mates.

His features and those of his team were concealed by their dark black helmets and full body, low visibility, black-gray body armor.

"Yeah. But if we don't, then we get conquered by the Coalition and then they make us do it anyway, or they kill us. Bastards!" His partner responded in utter distaste of their situation.

"If only the others felt the same way." Said a third as she motioned to the other thousand troops ,filling into the transport planes on the tarmac, "They have been enthusiastic about this operation from the start."

"The fools. Can't they see that they're being used?" Came a fourth.

"No. None of us are expected to think for ourselves! Damn it!" Replied a fifth.

"Hey! Delta Squad! Get to your troopship now!" Barked one of the senior officers.

"Alright! Let's go…" The lead paused for a second to make sure the officer, and anyone else around, couldn't listen to what he told his team next. "Now don't forget our plan people."

"Don't worry Sarge, we won't." A sixth soldier stepped up from behind the others.

"Good. That's what I wanted to hear."

"DELTA SQUAD! MOVE!" Roared the impatient officer.

"Sir, we are on our way." Replied the lead.

And with that they departed.

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January 10, 2014. 1030 hours. Livonia **

I left the hospital that morning. It was a day like any other, apart from the thousands of armed military personnel filling the streets of this once quiet town. Anti-air artillery was being set up, armored vehicles were rolling into the town, and troops set up machine gun nests on top of the buildings.

On my way to the far end of the city I stopped by small café for breakfast. Pancakes and toast. There was a TV in the building currently on the channel 4 news, I was far too busy eating to pay attention to the broadcast until someone yelled, "Everyone come look at this!"

Out of curiosity I squeezed my way to the TV just as the breaking news was being announced.

"We have urgent news dealing with the Coalition of Independent States. It appears that Wisconsin has turned over to the Coalition and declared war with the Union. As we speak they are sending an advance strike force to take the state of Michigan…"

The room turned deathly silent, a silence broken only by someone from outside shouting "Look! Up there! There has to be thousands of planes in the sky!"

I rushed outside, the sky was filled with aircraft. The sunlight glinted off of the huge transports and hundreds of fighters that filled the sky like a huge aluminum cloud… they belonged to the Coalition.

Suddenly, several of the craft erupted into bright orange balls of flame as F-16's from the 42nd air defense squadron, based in Selfridge Air National Guard Base, opened fire with 20mm Vulcan cannons and heat seeking missiles. The AA artillery around me opened fire in a deafening chorus, filling the sky with flack and shrapnel. But the enemy had fighters of their own, and soon a deadly battle waged far above my head between Michigan's National Guard and Wisconsin's forces.

There was the sudden roar as two jets shot past just above tree level, an F-16 was trailed by an F-14. Then the leading F-16 made a sudden dive, barrel rolled, and shot straight up into the sky. While the trailing pilot lost track of the F-16, the other pilot came around behind him and fired off a missile. The missile flew straight into the plume of the exhaust and into the jet engine. The enemy plane was blown in half. The front, which was now trailing a thick, black smoke, rammed into an office building nearly a mile away, shards of glass sparkled in the distance as the ten story building belched smoke and fire. The tail end of the aircraft spiraled on it's way to earth, it left a corkscrew of smoke in the sky, and impacted into the center of a public park near the hospital, setting it ablaze… the second Civil War had begun.

Unfortunately, while our planes were distracted with the enemy fighters, the transport planes flying in formation above the city began to dispatch their cargo. Thousands of parachutes filled the sky as troops and tanks were airdropped into Michigan.

"Shit!" I said. I had to get out of there, my family was already at the opposite end of the town waiting for me, so that's where I ran.

I can't remember why I ran, I guess I didn't want to make myself a target by using a car in this soon to be battlefield, it was a good idea.

Suddenly, there was this deafening roar as several AA artillery were knocked out of commission by missiles fired from the enemy planes. Giving the incoming paratroopers a clear shot into the city.

The enemy troops landed all over the city, and the Michigan armed forces were overwhelmed. Bullets whizzed passed my head as I dove for cover behind a dumpster. A split second later a grenade went off, shrapnel punched holes through the flimsy metal of the dumpster, missing me by mere inches.

I jumped up and ran again. Seeking cover, I dashed into an alleyway, explosions going off all around me. As I neared the other end of the alley I spotted a marine firing his rifle at an enemy I couldn't see. I noticed a tank rounding the corner, the marine continued with his attack hoping to drive away the hostile forces now assaulting the city. Then the tank fired… I never forgot what happened to that marine that day… his body was blown to pieces, blood was sprayed everywhere, I nearly threw up.

"Oh my God! I got to get the hell out of here!" I couldn't just stand there and hope to survive. So I carefully edged my way to the now half destroyed end of the building and peaked around the corner in hopes that I wouldn't get my head shot off.

What I saw was not the city I came to, but a war zone. The staccato fire from automatic weapons filled the air, along with explosions and the screams of dying men. Before I could do anything else, someone crept up behind me and knocked me out with a rifle but to the head…

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**My Notes Again:** I seem to always end the chapters with the narrator getting knocked out. Don't worry it won't always be like that for the other chapters. 


	5. Jail Break

**Disclaimer:** I never owned freedom fighters and I never will.

**My Notes:** Yay new chapter! It is the longest by far. Hope youenjoy. Oh and how could I forget.

Please R&R.

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856

**January 10, 2014. 1400 hours. Over Michigan aboard TA-33 troopship**

The 'Sarge' was sitting in the troop compartment of the army's newest means of transporting Spec. Ops. troops to and from points of conflict, the TA-33 Multipurpose Transport Recon and Attack Craft or M-TRAC, but the troops new it as the 'Phantom'. It was a marvel of modern engineering, it was the first stealth transport craft, the plane could reach mach 1.5 using a turbofan jet engine coupled with the new pulse detonation engines, which were mounted above the passenger compartment, giving the plane a hunch on its back. This also meant that the tail had to be split so the exhaust could flow properly. The TA-33 also had a V-TOL capability granted by a vectoring thrust nozzle for the jet and two fans imbedded in its short wings. For defense, it carried a thirty millimeter, nose mounted, chain gun, and a pair of advanced AIM-1 Fire Bolt missiles that could attack both air and ground targets alike. It also had a twenty troop carrying capacity under normal conditions… under the current situation however, the bay was loaded with enough supplies to last the team for a full week of combat operations.

A radio in the team leader's helmet crackled to life, and a young, energetic women's voice spoke into his ear, "Delta squad we are approaching the drop zone. Repeat we are approaching the drop zone."

"This is Delta squad. We read you Lieutenant." Responded the 'Sarge'. "Now you do remember what the plan is right?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah! You've only gone over it fifty two times! I know what I'm doing." Rebuked the pilot.

"Good. Maybe without our help the Coalition won't be able to proceed as quickly. Hopefully this will give the Union enough time to launch a counter attack." Said the 'Sarge'.

"Amen to that!" Replied the pilot.

"Delta squad! We are approaching our DZ. Now remember, if you see any Coalition forces, shoot. If you see any Union troops, don't return fire unless you have no choice. We are trying to establish a landing point for the ship. Got it?" Called the 'Sarge'.

"Sir, yes sir!" came the resounding reply.

"And Lieutenant, we will signal for pickup if things hit the fan. If we do I want you to come in fast and hard. Do you understand?"

"Yes… Good luck."

Suddenly the rear hatch of the troop compartment burst open, and a gust of wind tore at the troops faceplates as the ship flew over the forested earth nearly thirteen thousand feet below. The black armored figures donned their parachutes and jumped out of the cabin towards the land below.

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January 10, 2014. 1600 hours. Unknown Warehouse **

I awoke in a warehouse, dazed. I was surrounded by fifty or so other prisoners and the five troops guarding us. I scanned the faces of the prisoners, looking for someone, anyone that I knew, to no avail. I no longer heard the sounds of war outside, I just hoped and prayed that my family and friends were alright.

"Hey, I see that your finally awake."

I spun around toward the voice to see some middle aged man. He looked to be thirty-five years old, though his voice sounded like some elderly person. He was tall, I'd say five feet eleven inches, was of minor athletic build, he had dirty, dark brown hair, and light green eyes. He had bony facial features, and wore the uniform of the U.S. armed forces.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"I am Corporal David Farges of the United States marine corps. I noticed you getting dragged in here unconscious, and I… wasn't sure if you were alive or not, but seeing that you're up… well I know that you are all right." He said in a raspy voice. It seemed to me that he hadn't had a drink in days.

"Right. But where are we? And why do you sound like that?"

"Whoa hold on! One question at a time. Okay, this is an old storage warehouse. The Coalition captured so many people they needed to convert many different buildings into prison camps. And I sound like this because I was yelling orders to my men for hours in the battle, and…" He trailed off and looked away towards the floor. "And then we were overrun. I was the only survivor." His voice became nothing more than a whisper as he seemed to work up an immense effort to speak those words.

"I'm sorry to hear that."

But he just drooped his head and walked away.

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January 14, 2014. 1800 hours. **

Four days of imprisonment can get under anyone's skin, living in a cold, damp, and dark warehouse away from the outside world was bad enough, but we also only had limited supplies of food and water.

It was hard to believe that all this shit started just one week ago. I couldn't believe that fellow Americans would do this to each other! It was just not right what they were doing to anyone they found whether they were civilians or not.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. One of the prisoners had knocked one of the guards into a pile of boxes and continued to try and rip away his rifle. Two other guards pulled the man off the guard and knocked him out, leaving him unconscious on the concrete floor. The remaining guards kept their weapons at the ready for any other people who might try to try that same stunt. None of us were that stupid, we wouldn't go up against armed guards with our bare hands. The rest of the day afterwards was pretty calm given the circumstances.

I hadn't heard much from Cpl. Farges. He seemed to be off in his own world, probably still in shock over all of his troops' deaths.

The light entering through the dusty old windows was beginning to fade as the sun set past the horizon and darkness enveloped the warehouse… night had come. But this nightfall was not to be like the others… hours into this night, something happened that would set the course for my life.

A gun shot was heard in the distance. The guards were spooked by the sound, and cautiously went to scope out the situation. Then I noticed a shadow near the back of the warehouse. The figure move swiftly, silently, sneaking up to the remaining two guards, brandishing a twelve inch blade, jamming it into the first guard's back, he dropped without a sound. The other turned but was cut down by a hail of bullets fired from silenced weapons back from where the shadowy figure first emerged.

"Quick.." I heard someone say in the darkness. "We are getting you all the hell out of here." The person spoke quietly but I recognized it immediately.

"Justin is that you?"

"Yeah, of course it's me, who were you expecting some short gnome by the name of Joe?" That was typical Justin, always having some smart remark.

I heard Farges already on his feet moving to the exit. "How will we defend ourselves?" He asked.

"Simple, we give you guns and you use them." This time the voice was from someone else.

"Who are you?" I asked for I couldn't guess who that female voice was off the top of my head.

"Ugh, you can't remember who I am! Come on!"

Then I remembered, "Holy crap! I remember now! Bernadette!" I was extremely embarrassed that I had forgotten since we were almost always in contact with each other even when she was on duty for the air force.

She was another close friend of mine back in high school and had joined the Air Force just after graduating. She was about five feet six inches tall, with nearly perfectly straight, shoulder length, black hair, she always seemed to be tan no matter what time of year it was, and her deep brown eyes conveyed a feeling of exhaustion. I was surprised to see her there, after all she was in the Air Force, but when we were invaded I suppose that she had no other way to fight the Coalition, so now she was fighting the ground war.

She replied, "Yes, finally you remembered. I almost thought you forgot me."

"Hey. These people friends of yours?" Asked Cpl. Farges.

"Yeah. We all go way back…" I began to say.

Then someone else cut in, "Not now, we have to get moving before they come back."

Most of us received a slue of different handguns, I wasn't one of them. The Corporal however was presented a fifty cal. desert eagle, which he happily accepted and promptly cocked the chamber and let a fresh round enter from the magazine.

"Don't worry Kid, I'll cover you." said Cpl. Farges.

'Hmm… Kid? Well he could call me by my real name… but then it is better than hey you! And it is faster to say. I could get used to this.'

"Thanks. I'm glad that I have someone watching my back for me." I said.

"Alright now lets move. We have to go now if we plan on making it back in time to the HQ." Justin ordered.

I just had to ask, "How did you get here to find us? And when did you join a resistance force?"

"Just after those bastards invaded we met up with a group, including Bernadette, hiding out in a condemned building. Turns out they were with the resistance, so we just joined up. Now as for how we found you… well we have been raiding prison camps for the past two nights. I guess luck had it that we run in to you here."

"I'm just glad that you showed up. Now lets go!"

We moved out the rear of the building in groups of ten, that way we wouldn't be bunched up as one big target.

It was freezing out and a fresh layer of snow had just fallen, coating the ground. I heard someone say, "Damn it's cold out here!" I couldn't agree more, it must have been five below. Our breath formed clouds in front of our faces and in less than one minute I could see people's faces start to redden from the cold.

Everything was going alright until we ran head on into a squad of enemy soldiers. Some of those in our group just opened fire the second they saw the soldiers, it was a big mistake.

Soon a firefight broke out between our ragtag group of resistance fighters and professional infantrymen. Machineguns fired at us as we scattered for cover, I dove behind a parked car while three enemies let loose with hundreds of rounds of armor piercing ammunition. Seconds later there was a pair of immense explosions… then silence.

My heart was pounding like a drum, I had no idea what had just happened. Then someone shouted, "Come on, this way, before more of them come!" We all ran as one. No one wanted to be left out in the open after that encounter. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be the last.

No more than six minutes after our run in with the machine gunners, we came face to face with two armored humvees. This time everyone ducked into cover and melded with the shadows. However, in an ironic twist, like those in a bad movie, someone sneezed, and the heavy, triple barrel, machine guns mounted on the humvees were rotated in the direction of where that poor soul was, and opened fire.

Nothing survives when two .50 cal machine guns go to work, and it was a horrifying experience.

"You two are way too trigger happy!" Someone yelled from inside one of the Humvees. "Let's get back to base!"

Everyone just stayed put until the humvees left the area. Who ever was back there was no longer alive.

We continued along like this for another two hours, constantly hiding in the shadows when a patrol would cross us. Finally, we arrived at the resistance HQ. It was an enlightening experience, we even got to eat some dinner if you wanted to call it that, but to me it was the best food I had tasted in days. I saw quite a few people here and was surprised that they were all here putting their lives on the line for freedom.

We were welcomed by someone of seemingly important stature. He was short, I'd guess under five and a half feet, he had the build of an overstuffed teddy bear, was bald, and appeared to have three chins. Yet he carried with him the voice of a well trained and professional military dignitary.

"Hello, my name is Colonel Perrult, I am the leader of the resistance movement. You are here today because of the actions of this resistance, and so I request that you aid us in our campaign against the Coalition. Those of you that do not wish to fight can go back out to the street… and hope that the Coalition soldiers will not kill you. So what will it be?"

This "request" seemed more like an order than anything, and most of us were just civilians, untrained in combat. He didn't seem to be giving us much of a choice in the matter, it was either fight, or die at the hands of the Coalition. No one rejected his "request."

He then said, "I will now have Lt. Ash continue with your debriefing."

Lt. Ash, I thought to myself. Who could that be?

He was six feet tall, had short and somewhat spiky brown black hair. He was not overly muscular and at the same time not a super slim character. He had a serious yet saddened look on his face, most likely from shock from the war.

His speech was short and to the point,

"You are here to fight against the Coalition, you will serve under the command of Colonel Perrult of the 1st infantry division. You have already been to the kitchen, and the bunks are down the hall to the left. The armory is just past the bathrooms. As of now you will all be assigned the rank of corporal for command purposes. If there are any questions you can ask me now."

There were none.

"Good, then tomorrow at 0800 you will be taking part in operation linebacker, you will be briefed in the morning so for now you should get some sleep."

Now that appealed to everyone who promptly rushed to the bunks for a nice long restful sleep. I looked around in vain for my friends and family. Seeing that no one could be found I joined the exhausted "recruits", since it seemed like it would be a long day tomorrow from the sound of things.

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**My Notes Again: **R&R! How many times do I have to say it before people do review. Honestly, just Review, I don't care what you say just so long as it deals with this here story. 


	6. Operation Linebacker Part 1

**My Notes:** So far so good. People read and people review. Thank you people.

Now back to more important matters (almost more important than my readers). This is chapter six, yay! War and battle. Note that this is a two part operation just cause I don't want to make you read a really long chapter. Aren't I thoughtful?

And so Please read, and let's not forget to review too.

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856

**January 14, 2014. 2000 hours CIS Military HQ California**

"Lieutenant!" Shouted the Coalition General.

A young man snapped to attention, "Sir!"

"Galseaky is taking too long in mobilizing his forces. At this rate the union might have enough time to launch a counter attack. I need you to patch a link through to him." Commanded the General.

"Yes Sir! I'll get it done." The Lt. rushed out of the room.

"Damn lazy ass. He doesn't expect me to fight the union on my own does he?"

"Off course not General." Said a sly voice that seemed to come from everywhere at once.

The General was startled, the Lt. never turned on the speakers when he left so how could Galseaky be speaking to him.

"Galseaky! Where are you?"

"Ha ha ha! You Americans are all the same." The voice was hysterical, "But my location ish off no importance. And what was that about me being a lazy ass? My forshes are already on their way. Just give them time General and I ashoore you that together we will crush the Union like the pathetic weakling it ish. And then the great empire will rise again and take America as its prize!"

"Yes, yes. That's fine and all, but what about my end of the deal? I'm not doing this for nothing you know." The General was becoming impatient.

"Like I haff told you before General, you haff nowthing to worry about. You shall receive your reward in due time."

**

* * *

January 15, 2014. 0600 hours Resistance HQ**

We were woken at 0600 for the briefing, I had had better nights, and the fact the bunk rooms were musty didn't help, but this was war.

At the main briefing room, which was no more than an old conference room, I couldn't see Cpl. Farges anywhere, I suppose he wasn't selected to join in this operation. Justin was conducting the briefing, I was a bit surprised since only officers were usually in charge of briefings. It was then that I noticed the insignia on his left sleeve, and if I remember my military insignia correctly he was a Lieutenant just like Ash.

He continued to speak about operation linebacker, "This operation is simple, we are to assault a Coalition outpost near the edge of town, Outpost A27. We are to wrench some armored vehicles from the enemy camp in order to bolster our own firepower so that we can take back this city and later the entire state."

Many of those in the room cheered in approval as he spoke those words.

"Keep in mind that we take everything that is not nailed down, ammo, guns, food… you get the idea. Now you will be broken into five squads… Alpha squad will be under the leadership of Lt. Ash, Bravo squad will be under my command, Charlie squad is under the command of Master Sgt. Bacero, Delta squad will be led by SSgt. Burnham…"

I had no idea that Drew was in the resistance, I didn't even see him when we arrived last night. Perhaps it was because I never had a chance to thoroughly tour the HQ.

He continued in his commanding voice, "and Echo squad is under the command of Sgt. Smith. Now all of you should proceed to the armory for your weapons load out. And good luck."

We did as he commanded, and were each assigned a weapons locker which already had our weapons inside, however the squad leaders had their own unique picks for their weapons. Lt. Ash's wasn't anything special though just an M-16 with an M-203 grenade launcher, but the others were more specialized. Lt. Popovski equipped himself with an M-240 .30 cal. machine gun and an M-14C anti-tank rocket launcher. Master Sgt. Bacero loaded her P-90 submachine gun, while SSgt. Burnham was checking the sights for his S2 AM anti armor rifle. Finally, Sgt. Smith pulled a silenced MP-40 from his locker.

I found my locker and pulled from it an M-4 carbine, "basically a cut down version of an M-16," three grenades, four ammo clips, and a .45 cal model 1911 handgun. I slapped a fresh clip into the chamber of my rifle and pulled the cocking mechanism, which shut with a satisfying click.

I smirked, "I guess my fire arms training did come in handy after all."

"Alright, everybody move out to the Technicals and sort yourselves by squad!" Barked Justin.

I began to wonder how we were sorted into squads, but as I closed my locker I noticed that it had a name engraved in it… Echo. "Well, looks like I'm with Sgt. Smith."

As we marched toward the garage I dropped back a few paces to wish my friends good luck. "Hey, good luck guys, Justin, Ash, Drew, Bernadette. Don't get killed on me out there."

Justin scoffed, "Heh, like we'd get killed, we have experience fighting these Wisconsin bastards, you don't. I think you should be the one who tries to not get killed."

Ash stepped in, "Hey! Lay off, you just joined a few days ago too so I wouldn't be saying anything if I was you."

"Alright, alright. Sheesh I was just kidding." He sounded irritated. "So anyway good luck with the mission and try not to get shot."

I nodded, "You too Justin, you too."

We separated and boarded our Technicals. Basically, pickups or SUV's with armor plating and machine guns attached to the roof.

The roar of 250 horse power engines filled the building as the trucks sped out of the garage, fully loaded with ten members of the resistance per truck. The Technicals roared down the once peaceful street, now covered in the wreckage of destroyed vehicles, civilian and military alike. The road was slick with compacted snow and a mass of darkening clouds gathered above us.

Just two minutes into our excursion, we were ambushed. Eight Coalition marines had set up a choke point 2 miles from the outpost in some bombed out buildings that used to be a Mac Donald's restaurant and a local hobby shop.

They opened fire with M-16s and light machine guns. The sharp, continuous, staccato plinking of bullets bouncing off the armor plating on our Technicals drowned out the order of my superior. The fighters and I just scrambled out of the truck bed and dove behind the side of the truck that was not under direct fire from the Coalition marines. All of us but this young man.

I remembered him from the prison camp. He was a rough looking character with an attitude to match. I remember how the guards always had a hard time keeping control of him. He had a four inch long scar running down the left side of his angular face. He manned the .30 cal. machine gun mounted in the pick up truck's bed and fired in complete disregard of the Sgt. screaming at him to take cover.

I suppose this was his way of exacting revenge upon the soldiers that imprisoned him.

He gave a maniacal laugh, "Ha ha ha ha… you like this you bastards? Huh, do you want some more? Take it!"

He continued to fire like a man possessed, round after round, after round. He seemed like he would never stop, until he was hit in the right shoulder blade by a lucky pot shot from the engaged marines.

He clutched his shoulder yelling, "Shit, shit that hurts like hell!"

Then, the marines, taking advantage of this short lull in his firing, opened fire with everything they had. That man was riddled with an innumerable amount of bullets in four seconds before he finally collapsed and fell out the side of the vehicle, dead.

"Mark! No, they got Mark!"

I saw someone attempt to reach his fallen comrade, but the others held him back screaming in his face, "Just leave him! Can't you see that he's dead?" but to no avail. He broke free from their grip and rushed over to the man, but he only made it half way around the end of the truck before he too was cut down by the Coalition marines rebuking crossfire.

I saw the other Technicals open fire on the marines' positions, and for a second the oncoming fire stopped as the marines took cover from the hundreds of armor piercing rounds that swarmed their way. This gave Echo squad, including myself, enough time to prime several grenades and lob them over their cover and into the buildings. Any troops trying to escape the balls of death were torn to shreds from the combined fire from the Technicals and Echo squad… then came the massive detonation. The building the Coalition ambush team was hiding in, belched orange flame from every opening in its structure… debris rained everywhere, nothing could have survived such a blast.

We jumped backed into the truck, ignoring the now blood stained truck bed, and continued on to the Coalition outpost. The next two miles of roadway that separated us from the abandoned factory now being used as a military outpost was unguarded. I had no idea whether that was due to poor military planning on the enemy's part or what. I was just glad that for a few minutes at least, I didn't have to get shot at.

As we neared the old assembly plant for Ford's F-150 trucks, our motorcade of armored Technicals pulled behind several nearly destroyed buildings, and halted.

"All right. Every body out." our Sgt. ordered, "From here we are to proceed on foot to the factory, that way we won't alert them with the noise from our vehicles' engines. We will come around to the rear of the factory with Delta squad, while Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams attack the enemy. And we will procure from them some equipment that is rather unavailable at HQ. Once we have 'Borrowed' their vehicles I will signal to the others to pull back to HQ. Hopefully with this boost in firepower we will gain an edge over those Coalition bastards. So, move out!"

"Sir, yes sir!" Came the resounding reply.

But little did I know that this "Simple" operation, which was bad enough with two dead, would soon turn into a slaughter.

We marched the final five hundred yards to the old abandoned factory, Delta squad trailing a little ways behind us. We had just arrived at the final point of cover, a five foot snow covered hill with a few small trees and thick shrubs near the top, before a fifty yard open field dash to the back entrance of the storage facility. It was at this moment that the gathering clouds dropped their burden and soon a heavy snowfall ensued.

"Nice, anyone want to make snow angles?"

"Shut up you smart ass! do you want the enemy to hear us?" Sgt. Smith was highly annoyed at the man's remark. But the snowfall did serve one purpose, it would provide us some concealment from the prying eyes of Coalition troops.

Our Sgt. pulled out a set of binoculars and belly crawled to the top of the hill, taking cover behind the truck of a tree so as to present as little a target as possible to any possible sniper keeping watch in our direction. His all white camouflage blended almost perfectly into the pure white of the snow near the top of the embankment. If only I could say the same thing about my tattered street clothes and parka.

Sgt. Smith whispered into the boom of his mike. "This is Echo and Delta. We are in position. SSgt. Burnham, are you watching my back? I can't go in with my ass uncovered."

A few of my fellow soldiers silently chuckled to themselves.

"SSgt. Burnham here. Yeah Smith I'm in position, in fact I can see you all from here. Now hurry up and give me some targets, I've been dying to try this baby out." His voice was filled with anticipation. .

"Hold on there don't blow our cover! Wait until we are about to move, then fire on only the targets that threaten us. After we are inside you can go to town but don't forget to provide support when we call on you, and don't forget to fall back to the Technicals when we have completed our mission. Got it?"

His voice was barely audible, I felt that he was being a little too serious with the whole talking quietly since no one was around to hear him other than Drew.

"Yeah, I got it." He sounded a little disappointed, but I wouldn't blame him, after all it's not every day that you get the chance to use an anti armor rifle.

"Ok, now as soon as the perimeter guards are down I want you all to follow me across the field and into the storage building. Got it?"

"Yes sir!" Came our quick unanimous reply.

"Alright SSgt. Burnham, you know what to do."

"It'll be my pleasure." He could barely hide his glee as he spoke over the radio.

A split second later a sharp crack split the air in the distance.

"We'll have to find a silencer for that thing later. I still heard that and I'm almost a mile away." Sgt. Smith said.

Drew just continued and two more sharp cracks were heard in the distance, "One down… two… alright that's all of them. You guys are clear, I'll cover you."

And so we sprinted across the field towards the door that would not just lead us away from any unwanted sniper fire, but also bring us closer to the armored vehicles that we so desperately needed.

We stormed the room along with Delta squad, our weapons were raised for any possible threats… there were none.

"Alright, Delta squad, search the south end of the building for any weapons, and other supplies. Echo, follow me to the vehicle bay so we can… make a 'withdrawal'."

We split from there and rushed to the Northern corridor. Coming to a corner the Sarge halted us and took a quick look around for any activity. He motioned to us to ready our weapons, a split second later we rounded the corner in unison, weapons ready.

I took the scene in at a glance, four guards were chatting amongst themselves in the center of the hallway nearly fifty feet away from us, and another patrol was passing through a small door at the end of the corridor. That was our exit. I aimed my M-4 at the furthest of the guards by the door, no need for them to alert the rest of the base, and squeezed off a three round burst. The first bullet missed the guard completely, hitting the door jam, the other two were more accurate, both striking him in his back.

I didn't pay attention to what happened to him for I was already shifting my sights to the four guards in the hallway which had just un slung their rifles and were nearly ready to open fire. My seven other comrades and I fired in unison, a full auto fusillade of armor piercing rounds tore through the armed soldiers like nails would to butter. They fell, lifeless, to the floor, oozing red liquid from their wounds. We ignored this and proceeded to strip them of their ammo. Only one guard escaped through the door at the far side of the corridor, alerting his fellow soldiers as we stood there procuring the ammo from their lifeless forms.

"This is Smith to Alpha, Bravo, and Charlie teams, commence the operation, repeat commence the operation" He barked over the radio the commands that would bring in an entire platoon of infantry and two of the Technicals to open fire on the Coalition forces as a distraction so that we could sneak in and have an easier time taking the vehicles. Seconds later the sounds of gunfire confirmed that the other teams had received the order. "All right people, move! We have to get to the armored vehicles fast." Barked our Sgt.

We charged towards the door with no idea as to what would could be on the other side. The Sgt. kicked the door in and sped through the door way, quickly followed by me and the rest of the squad. We entered into a large hangar like building with rows of Humvees, APCs, and M2A2 heavy combat vehicles, which were basically small light tanks. The squad took cover behind several crates near the door hoping that no one would have seen us. Unfortunately, 15 enemy soldiers were lying in wait for the perfect time to strike.

The Sarge crept around the crates and slipped along the wall towards the garage door controls at the end of the room partially obscured from view by a low concrete divider. The rest of us began dispersing among the vehicles to pick out any with a full fuel and ammo load. The man on point had just turned around the end of an APC when the marines in hiding chose to attack. Bullets shot through the air in every direction, troops ran to and from cover, others collapsed on the spot as they were struck from multiple rounds, it was utter chaos. I primed a grenade and lobbed it over by a parked Humvee. The whole thing went up in a ball of fire and smoke, spreading shrapnel in every direction. I heard screams as several soldiers that were hiding behind it were engulfed by the blast. I ran towards my superior to protect him from the volley of fire that was pounding his position. I took note of four Coalition soldiers firing on him, and promptly went about to end their onslaught with a fragmentation grenade quickly followed by a burst of rifle fire.

"Hey thanks! Didn't expect that kind of help from a civilian." The Sgt. said.

"Just doing my part in kicking some Coalition ass." I joked.

The remaining five soldiers retreated. Just as I reached the Sarge I looked over my shoulder to see the others manning the vehicles and preparing to escape. Just then however a swarm of enemy troops charged into the building firing on the Sarge's, and my, position. I managed to duck in cover just in time, but Sgt. Smith wasn't so lucky. He took two rounds to the stomach, four to the chest, and one to the head… he didn't even know what hit him.

"Damn it!" I bellowed having just seen my superior killed I was filled with rage, and yet at the same time fear. "Damn bastards!" I leapt up from my cover and fired in full auto at the new attackers. Then a massive explosion shook the building and the main garage door was blown apart. Our soldiers already in their vehicles rushed out of there before any more enemy forces could come.

And through the smoke a figure appeared. He was big, burly, and had on a dark pair of shades, and a large brown trench coat. The Coalition soldiers were as easily confused as I was. No one knew what to make of him, until a split second later when he pulled from his trench coat two MAC 10 submachine guns, with extended clips, and poured fire onto the Coalition troops.

"Damn! Who the hell is that guy?" I was more enlightened to see a new ally then I was confused at his sudden appearance. But whoever he was he was surely the most insane bad ass that I had ever seen!

* * *

**More of My Notes:**Ever wonder why I don't just say author's notes? Well so do I.

Any way I hope you liked this chapter.


	7. Operation Linebacker Part 2

**My Notes:** Hey part two is here! This is the last part of linebacker. There will be no part three. There will be more chapters with action and combat though so don't give up hope just yet.

Any way Please R&R.

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"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856

**January 15, 2014. 1000 hours Undisclosed area in Michigan**

Four black figures were sitting around a space heater in the middle of a small clearing. Delta squad had been hiding out for days in the forested area in south eastern Michigan. Just eight yards away under the cover of a portable shroud was parked the TA-33. Snow blanketed the ground and was constantly joined by a seemingly endless supply of snow flakes falling from the sky.

Some bushes rustled in the distance and all four armored figures wheeled around towards the noise only to find Delta two, six, and the pilot emerge from the foliage.

"Damn! Don't scare us like that you three! You're lucky we didn't shoot you." Said one of the figures.

"I'm not worried Delta four. You were never really known for your marksmanship skills." Replied a female voice, Delta 2.

"Good or bad aim, I'm just glad you didn't shoot!" Stated the pilot.

All of a sudden the radio crackled to life.

"This is outpost A27 to any Coalition forces! We are under heavy enemy attack! We need assistance. Repeat, we are in desperate need of assistance!" Shouted a panicked voice.

"Isolate and jam that signal, no need for half the state to attack!" Shot the 'Sarge', or Delta one.

The pilot rushed to the aircraft and activated its internal jamming system.

"All right. Outpost A27, this is Spec. Ops. Squad Delta of the 41st airborne. We have received your transmission and are inbound on your position." Spoke the 'Sarge'.

"Thank God! We're suffering heavy casualties, and the enemy has already made off with several of our vehicles. Your help is greatly appreciated! Over and out."

"Roger that." The 'Sarge' said as he shut off the radio. "All right people! Everyone grab your weapons and get to the ship. I think there might still be some hope for this state after all."

**

* * *

January 15, 2014. 1000 hours Coalition outpost A27 **

The figure that had emerged was pounding the incoming enemy forces with a hail of bullets. The troops were cut down to shreds and only a few managed to find cover. Seeming to forget I was there, the Coalition troops left themselves exposed to my position. I took full advantage and raised my rifle at the nearest of them and squeezed the trigger. The weapon spat one round before locking open… out of ammo.

"Shit!" I cursed to myself and ducked down behind the barrier.

I looked to my right and saw Sgt. Smith's weapon lying there. I grabbed it, pulled the cocking lever and slung my rifle over my shoulder. At this point I was being bombarded with a hail of gunfire. So I did the only thing I could, I lifted the submachine gun above my head and fired blindly over my cover, my arms straining against the recoil. The incoming fire paused for a moment so I jumped up and ran to the mass of parked vehicles. I hoisted myself into the turret of an M2A2 and brought the main cannon and missile launcher to bear upon the entry way where Coalition troops continued to flow in.

There was a thick stream of smoke as a missile shot forward. Then an immense fireball as it detonated, collapsing the wall, taking out the power line to the building, and blocking off any more troops from entering. The emergency lights flickered to life. Suddenly I sawa stream ofbright tracer roundspour in, slaughtering the remaining troops.

"Hey you!" Yelled the figure in a deep voice. "Man that Humvee's machine gun, we're getting the fuck out of here!"

"All right!" I panted. I had no idea how exhausting those few minutes of combat were.

My foot steps echoed through the building as I sprinted towards the Humvee that the mysterious figure had already started up. I entered the vehicle, popped the top hatch, climbed up into the hole, and rested myself against the padded stock of the tri-barreled weapon. The Humvee jerked forward and roared out into the daylight.

The vehicle sped through the complex, past burning vehicles and dead bodies. There was a sudden _WHOOSH_ as a rocket was fired from a watch tower towards us. The driver swerved to the left and narrowly avoided the rocket which impacted into the road leaving a six foot crater. I opened fire and the weapon belched fiery death. The tower splintered and finally gave way as its structural integrity failed.

"Damn that was close!" Shouted the driver. "Heads up! The main gate is up ahead! We're breaking through!"

I saw our forces beginning their withdrawal, and the Coalition forces began to advance. The tri-barreled machine gun roared again as I let hundreds of more rounds down range to strike down the enemy and to provide cover for my retreating allies.

The humvee burst through the enemy line and out onto the main road.

"Oh shit! Incoming aircraft! Open fire! Take it out before it slaughters us!" I heard Justin from a nearby technical.

I swiveled the gun around looking for a target just in time to see the craft fire off two missiles…

My face paled, "Oh crap! We're screwed, we're screwed man!"

But it wasn't to be, thank God. The missiles impacted into the facility and obliterated it. The explosions sent a shockwave that nearly flipped over the vehicle.

"What the hell? Aren't we supposed to be dead? Why did they attack their own outpost?" Lt. Ash shouted.

"I don't know! All I care about is that they didn't shoot us!" I jeered.

Another figure appeared from a cluster of buildings and waved us down.

"Hey! Can you spare a seat?" It was Drew.

"Yeah, hop in!"

Suddenly the aircraft returned and began to vertically descend into the street. We all trained our weapons on it, just in case. I was holding my breath. My eyes watered as the wind was whipped around by the craft's slow descent. It deployed its landing gear and touched down, the engine whirred to a slow stop. It was a strange plane, all gray, and it was too bulky to be a fighter. So what was it?

A ramp then slammed open on the rear of the plane and six black armored figures marched out. Their weapons were non-reflective, matte black, bull pup style machine guns. One carried an unfamiliar sniper rifle. It was bulkier than normal and had no eject for shell casings.

One of them spoke.

"I am Sergeant Peter McAllister of Spec. Ops. Delta Squad of the 41st airborne. We are defecting against the Coalition and are here to help the Union in any possible way."

The canopy of the cockpit opened and a slender female pilot jumped down from the plane, she removed her helmet, revealing her bright red shoulder length hair, and walked up to the group of soldiers, taking her place by the Sergeant. Our eyes locked for a split second and I caught her cold, steely gaze from her gray eyes. It sent a small chill down my spine.

Lt. Ash walked up to the Sergeant, both were about the same height, as were the rest of the squad.

"How can we be sure that you won't betray us to the Coalition?" Lt. Ash asked them.

"Didn't you just see us annihilate that Coalition outpost?" Questioned the pilot, "We wouldn't have done that if we were with the Coalition!"

"All right. But you will all be kept under watch just so to be safe." Said Ash.

"So you don't trust us then?" Shot the Sergeant.

"God! Why won't any of you believe us when we say, WE ARE ON YOUR SIDE!" Yelled the pilot.

"I believe you." I looked around for who said that, then I found Drew. "I believe that they are telling the truth, that we can trust them. Who else is with me?"

"I am", "Me to", "So am I…" Everyone began to back up the newcomers. I joined in to, "And me!"

"Well that settles it. Looks like your with the resistance. You should follow us back to the HQ." Said Justin.

"At least check the plane for any tracking devices." Lt. Ash ordered.

The troops didn't have anything against it, and the search team found nothing out of the ordinary. The Lt. was quick to take off back to the HQ. And the squad jumped back into the ship and hovered back up into the sky.

Now the drive back was relatively uneventful. Someone always had an eye on the trailing aircraft as ordered by Lt. Ash. We would have arrived at the HQ sooner had it not been for the one M2A2 and the APC that two of the three surviving soldiers had managed to steal. They were somewhat slow compared to the trucks and Humvees, but it wasn't a real handicap, we were only traveling at 45 mph.

We arrived back at the HQ. It was the first time I had actually seen the outside in the daylight. It was an old abandoned military camp overgrown with vegetation. It was heavily obscured from view because of the trees growing around it. The installation was and unappealing building… the perfect hide out. Snipers were on the roof top, and stationary turrets were placed all over to provide blanketing fields of fire.

Some of the resistance fighters welcomed us with cheers. Others were quiet as they realized that many of our original number were missing.

"All right! You can take your ship down on the landing pad in the back!" Lt. Ash spoke into his microphone for his helmet radio.

The ship flew over the main building and dropped out of view. Our vehicles were brought around to the garage, but the M2A2 and APC were too large and had to remain outside of storage.

I had just climbed out of the Humvee when Lt. Ash approached me.

"What exactly happened to Sgt. Smith?" Lt. Ash asked sternly.

I looked away, "He… he was killed in the outpost. The Coalition forces nearly overran our position. If it weren't for that man over there in the trench coat then I probably wouldn't have made it either."

"I see. Well, with Smith dead we are going to need a new Sergeant for Echo squad. You seem to be the prime candidate for the position."

I was dumb struck. "Why… why me?"

"Your fellow soldiers told me about your actions to assist Sgt. Smith. You looked out for a fellow soldier that you never really knew. You are the perfect person to be Echo squad's leader."

"Hey Kid!" Corporal Farges was running out to meet us. His voice had finally come back to him.

"Kid? Is that what they're calling you now?" Justin yelled from across the garage.

"Not now!" Barked Lt. Ash. Then he turned to me, "Listen, from now on out you have been promoted. I'll talk to the Colonel about it later."

"Hey wait! What's up with all of this promotion business sir?" Asked the Corporal.

"Simple. The 'Kid' has just been promoted to the rank of Sergeant for his actions in the field." Spoke Lt. Ash.

"Whoa, congratulations Kid, I mean Sergeant!" The Lt. glared at the Cpl. for neglecting the proper military code of conduct.

"Thanks."

"Right, now I'll be off. The lunch is almost ready." And so Farges left.

"I have to leave to. I'll have to prepare a memorial service for those who died in combat today." And Lt. Ash departed.

'So now I'm a Sergeant… The leader of Echo squad. I won't let my men be killed. No… I won't let anything like this happen again. Not while I'm squad leader.'

"Hey! Are you coming to lunch or what?" Farges had just shot back to the garage.

"Yeah I'm coming. Just wait up for me. All right?"

* * *

**More Notes Again:** I know it isn't the best possible ending for a chapter but this how it is going to be. And because I am a seargent I will get a cool new weapon, and comand of a squad. Yay me. But poor Sgt. Smith is dead... oh well, I didn't like him all that much any way. He reminded me of the agent smith from _The Matrix._

And so I will ask again to provide any possible ideas or advice as to what should be done. I'm not saying that I have no idea where the story is going, I have a pretty good vision of the future chapters.I just want ideas from my readers.


	8. A New Day

**Disclaimer: **I Don't own Freedom Fighters.

**My Notes: **New chapter. It's just a funeral so there won't be any of that white nuckled action till the next chapter. R&R

* * *

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856

**January 16, 2014. 1900 hours CIS Leviathan Atlantic Ocean**

The CIS Leviathan was the only known stealth ship in existence. Built mainly as a support ship during naval operations. It incorporated stealth and firepower into one efficient and deadly package. It was armed with four torpedo tubes capable of firing anaconda torpedoes, or what many dubbed "water rockets". The bulbous sections of concealed missile launchers dotted the ship's dull gray hull. Finally, the ship had provisions for two MIRV nuclear missiles.

Twenty figures were on the bridge. There were no windows, just several massive view screens with a heads up display on each. And in the center of this crowded mess of computer screens, stood the ship Captain.

"Are you sure these are the correct coordinates?"

"Yes Captain. These are the exact coordinates that High Command sent to us."

"Then where are the Russians?" His voice was tinged with impatience and slight anger.

An NCO manning the radar display shouted, "Sir… I think you might want to take a look at this."

"Put it on screen."

The forward view screen distorted, and one second later cleared to show fourteen blips heading directly their way. The ships were labeled as the 4th Union fleet. But one of the ships names caught the Captain's attention. USS Assault Carrier Abraham Lincoln… the most powerful naval vessel in the world. It carried enough aircraft to rival three super carriers. Over twenty fighters were parked on its deck.

His voice was choked in shock, "Oh God!"

Another blurted, "The Abraham Lincoln! We can't contend with that kind of firepower!"

The Captain, snapping out of his trance, shouted back, "Arm four Anacondas and lock on to that Carrier. We are taking that thing out even if it kills us."

"But sir!" The radar operator protested.

"Do it now!" He bellowed.

"Anacondas are armed and locked onto the enemy flagship. They are ready to fire on your command." Said an NCO manning the weapons station.

"Good… Blast them to hell!"

"Torpedoes away! Impact in three… two… one…"

Nothing happened.

"What the fuck was that?" The Captain was furious, "That ship should be on the bottom of the God damn ocean by now!"

"The guidance systems must be jammed."

"Well use the ECCM and un-jam the damn things!"

"Captain… We may have even more to worry about than just jammed torpedoes."

"Really? What else could be going wrong?"

"A massive fleet is approaching from the East. The IFF can't identify them sir."

"Shit! Did the enemy set us up?" The Captain paused, "There is only one thing we can do. Arm the nuke. We are going to take them all out in one last move."

"Wait! The incoming fleet is hailing us."

A heavily accented voice spoke over the speakers. "CIS Leviathan. I shee dat you could use shome help. Jusht leaf the Union ships to me. Dish minor annoyance vill not hinder ush much longer."

**

* * *

January 16, 2014. 1100 hours Resistance HQ Michigan**

The entire congregation was silent. Colonel Perrult was commemorating the soldiers that fell in battle the day before. Nearly one hundred were gathered outside in the courtyard since there was not a room big enough to hold everyone in the main compound. It was freezing out, and even though most of us were wearing heavy parkas or winter coats, the bitter cold still managed to bite. Sentries were posted out in the woods to keep any uninvited guests from surprising us.

The defecting soldiers were also present. However they were received by some freedom fighters with hate and venom. I had to admit that even I didn't fully trust them. All of them were muscular and nearly six and one half feet tall. Well all of them except the pilot, who was about five inches shorter than everyone else. Her deep red hair was blown about by the wind that seemed as if it was fighting to get us to return to the warmth of the base. Her steely gray eyes still carried that icy look.

As for the others, this was the first time I had had a good look at the people behind those dark helmets. Their Sergeant was some what boxy, he had olive skin and brown, buzz cut, hair. A four inch long scar cut across the right side of his face. Next to him stood his second in command. She was intimidating… Probably the best person to be a second in command. She was pale. Her skin, her hair, even her eyes were light. The third looked like he had just come from the Middle East. Surprisingly, he had a dark tan but was also bald. I learned this when his wool cap fell off of his head earlier. The fourth, next to him was African American. He was wearing a pair of sunglasses which accentuated his unwavering facial features. But then came the final two. They looked exactly alike. The same skin color, blue eyes, short brown hair... well they were twins.

The Colonel had begun his speech.

"We are gathered here today in remembrance of the lives of our lost comrades…"

I remembered Lt. Ash's last words to me before the ceremony, "Never before have we suffered any dead in one battle, and now look. Six killed in action in just one operation. Things just aren't looking up for us." I remember how pained he looked when he spoke those words.

I suddenly jolted back to reality near the end of the Colonel's speech. I felt embarrassed to say the least, but lank fully no one had noticed.

"They will be remembered on forever in the hearts and minds of us all. The brave warriors of this resistance who gave their lives in our fight for freedom."

It was silent. A silence broken only by the sobs of those who lost a loved one the day before.

A rage burned up inside of me. 'Those bastards! Look at what they have done to us. Families are being destroyed because of this meaningless war. They've put so many through pain and anguish this past week.' I was no longer proud of my new rank as Sergeant. I felt as though I stole that which never should have been mine in the first place. 'I'll make it up to the Sergeant. I'll keep those under my command safe. I won't let anything like this happen again.' I knew that I was just fooling myself. I knew that I would see this again. I just didn't want to accept it.

**

* * *

January 16, 2014. 1500 hours Resistance HQ Michigan**

I was supposed to meet my new squad an hour ago, but I guess the Colonel was having trouble rounding tem all up. The wait didn't bother me. I just had more time to mule over recent events. My mind jumped to the thought of my family. 'Are they alright? How can I help them? I have to find them.'

"God only knows where they are now." I said under my breath.

"What was that?" It was the Colonel.

"Oh… it was nothing."

"I see… Well now we need to get things underway." He said. "Sergeant, since Echo squad suffered so many casualties. Well I have come to believe that four isn't enough for an effective squad. So I'm having your squad merge with Lt. Burnham's squad to form 1st Platoon. The defectors will remain known as Delta squad. Is that understood?"

"Yes sir. Just one question. Drew, I mean SSgt Burnham was promoted?" I was trying my best not to sound like a civilian. I guess I had some weird reason for that at the time.

"Yes. He was promoted shortly after operation Linebacker, as were you… Anyway. You will have the three from your old squad, Cpl. Nichols, Cpl. Allan, and Cpl. Rodriguez." He motioned to the three figures silently standing on the far wall. "And over here are the others from Lt. Burnham's squad. Pvt. McNiel, Specialist Perez, Cpl. Hattock, Cpl. Jieves, Cpl. Baker, Cpl. Anderson, Pvt. Rogers, and Cpl. Young. You and Lt. Burnham will be the platoon leaders."

Several of them were civilians like myself, and still looked a little shocked from our battle yesterday.

"Lt., I need you to go and escort our new sergeant to the armory… find him something useful."

I had forgotten about the squad leaders personal weapon picks.

"Yes Colonel." Drew started, "All right, let's get going."

He lead me through a hallway towards an elevator. The doors slid open with the sound of heavily greased metal slabs sliding over themselves. We entered and he pushed 'B'. The doors shut and the elevator began to rapidly descend.

"Drew, you don't think that…"

"Look, about this war. We all know how it's pointless. What I'd like to know is how soon it will be over. Only then…" He stopped.

"Something wrong?" I asked.

"Hm? Oh, no it's nothing."

The doors slid open and we emerged into a massive room filled with nearly every weapon I'd ever seen.

"Holy shit that's a lot of guns!"

I looked around in awe. Out of the corner of my eye I noticed several people loading carts with large drums and crates.

"What are they doing?"

"Gathering ammunition for our newly acquired vehicles. But right now we have to find you a weapon to replace that M-4 of yours. So look around and take your pick. I'll be back when you've decided.

My gaze drifted to a small crate labeled M-29.

"No need. I think I've found what I'm looking for."

* * *

**My Notes Again:** Hope you liked this chapter. It's not the best but... well... oh never mind. Still open to suggestions.


	9. They've Found Us

**Disclaimer:** I have never owned freedom fighters.

**My Notes: **Sorry it took so long for this chapter to be posted. I hope that it is good enough to make up for the late upload. I don't think that I will be posting as often as I used to, so don't expect anything on thursdays anymore... sorry. Oh and before I forget, please R&R.

* * *

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856

**January 16, 2014. 1540 hours Near Resistance HQ Michigan**

A white camouflaged character was crouched low in the shadow of a large pine tree, taking cover under its thick foliage. Dispersed around him, twenty battle hardened marines were covering every angle with the muzzle of a weapon.

"This is Omega team leader. All units report in."

"Gold team here, We are a go."

"This is Viper team, are you sure there's an enemy base out here?"

"I'm completely positive. Now we just need to find it and take it our. According to the Major, these people have been very problematic in this area. These are the same people that destroyed outpost A27, so stay alert."

"Roger that we will maintain radio contact with you and Gold team if we see anything."

"Omega! Viper! This is Gold team leader. I think we've found the enemy base. Transmitting coordinates to your PDA's now."

"Holy shit! How did they hide themselves so close to the main road?"

"I don't know. But the sooner we deal with them, the better."

"Gold team, this is Major Cumbsley, hold your position. Viper and Omega teams, orient yourselves to Gold team's position and provide support."

"Yes Major." The comm. snapped off. "All right you heard the man boys. Let's do this!"

**

* * *

January 16, 2014. 1540 hours Resistance HQ Michigan**

I walked out of the HQ's main corridor, and entered into a brightly lit chamber that resembled a city park. It must have been one thousand yards end to end, and old run down buildings lined the perimeter. A pot hole filled road also encircled the park and was littered with broken down cars. The park itself was littered with benches, picnic tables, jungle gyms, and a few ponds. And right in the center of the park was a four story concrete building… that was my objective.

My newly acquired M-29 OICW assault weapon felt relatively light in my hands. The ergonomic shape of the rifle made it seem like something that belonged fifteen years in the future. It had a thirty-six round magazine of 5.56mm NATO rounds with a second magazine attached "bull pup" style that carried six 20mm High Explosive Air Burst rounds which could be programmed to detonate at programmed distances set by a pad just above the trigger. The scope was a six times magnification with integrated night and thermal imaging to pick out targets even under heavy cover or the blackness of night. The scope also contained a small, unnoticeable camera that was wirelessly linked to a small screen, positioned over my left eye, attached to a boom on my helmet. This would allow me to use the gun to look and fire around corners or over cover without exposing myself… It was my dream gun.

"Sergeant!" came a voice over the radio in my helmet, "This is Lt. Ash, I'm entering on the other side. Remember we just have to get in and out with the documents."

"I got it" I returned, "I'll see you soon."

Lt. Ash was also assigned an M-29 to replace his M-16. And so we both were being thrown into this "situation" to get used to our new weapons.

Something caught my eye. Thirty yards to my left, by a concrete pillar, something shimmered. A figure suddenly appeared where the shimmer was just a moment before. Two more popped up and over-turned several picnic tables to make a makeshift bunker forty yards into the park. Four more rushed out into a clearing behind and to the left of the "bunker".

"Crap!" I dove behind an old, beat up Volkswagen and brought my new rifle to bear. I hefted the weapon over the hood of the car, "I hope this works." I activated the gun camera and instantly the small screen over my left eye showed a reticule, and the four in the clearing.

"Gotcha." I smiled and squeezed the trigger, letting off four rounds. Two of them were hit and quickly vanished.

Then I realized something, 'Wait, why aren't they firin-' my thought was cut off as the remaining attackers opened fire. Bullets whizzed by and impacted into a building not more than ten feet from where I was taking cover. The dull red bricks were pulverized and chunks of them broke off and cascaded to the ground.

"Hey! You need some help?"

"No. Watch."

I lifted my M-29 again and sighted using the camera. This time I set a distance to the targets in the field. There was a 'thunk' as a HEAB round set sail. Then a massive 'BOOM' as fire and shrapnel engulfed the clearing.

All of a sudden the pillar that the other was hiding behind endured the same fate.

"I thought I told you I didn't need any help!" I shouted.

"Aw, it was getting boring. I needed something to do… like this."

Then the "bunker" also imploded not more than one second later and flaming splinters of wood left smoky contrails in the wake of the explosion.

"Jeez Lt.! You take all the fun out of a fire fight you know."

"Calm down! There will be plenty more where that came from." His voice crackled over the radio, "Now meet me by the bank of the pond at your two o' clock."

"How about I pick off the guards, then pop a few grenades and retrieve the documents."

With that I shut off the radio and sprinted down to an old park bench and crouched down behind it. I leveled the M-29 and peered down its scope. On the roof of the building I saw three snipers, and four were patrolling around it's perimeter in a ten yard radius.

The rifle kicked and three rounds shot downrange. A moment later the three sniper vanished. I then turned my attention to those that remained.

"Wait weren't there four before?"

Just as I finished, another figure vanished.

"Oh no you don't Lt.!"

I jumped up and charged towards the building. I stopped eighty yards from the building, crouched behind a park bench, and fired four HEAB rounds, one onto each floor through several windows. The ground shook as the devices exploded.

"That should take care of them." I spoke to now one in particular.

I jogged the remaining eighty yards and met up with the Lt. by a newly formed "door way" from my grenades.

"You turned off you mike, and disregarded a direct order! If this weren't an exercise then what would have happened if… never mind that now, but I'll let you know that when this is over, you'll be on KP duty for the next month till forever! Do we have an understanding?"

'Great, just great. All I do is blow the shit out of the enemy and now I'm being reprimanded.'

The Lt. darted through the hole, weapon raised. I followed suit. The first floor was trashed. Everything in the room was practically smoldering. The next floor was exactly the same… except there was a shiny steel briefcase on the floor in the middle of the room.

"We have the objective." Lt. Ash spoke into his mike.

"Good. Excellent job you two!" The Colonel's voice echoed throughout the area.

Everything around us wavered and then faded to reveal a massive weathered steel chamber. The Colonel came marching out onto the floor. A slight grin tugging at his cheeks.

"Looks like the holographic trainer works flawlessly even at this age."

The Lt. stepped forward, "Colonel, I would like to comment about our new Sergeant here."

'Oh great. Here it comes.' I thought.

Warning klaxons blared, "Enemy attack! All troops to defense points now."

"It'll have to wait for now Lt.. Now get moving!"

"Yes Sir." He grumbled. His fists were clenched so tight that all the color drained from them.

I turned my radio back on, "Burnham! Where's the platoon?"

The sounds of gunfire nearly drowned out his response, "We are already up top! Damn it, where the hell are you? We could really use your help about now!"

"Got it! I'm on my way! You just hang in there, okay?"

"Okay, but the sooner you get here the better."

I sprinted back through the holo-chamber towards the elevator. Others were now scrambling for weapons and ammo as I entered the armory. I stopped by a crate and pulled out two more magazines. The both chambers shut with satisfying 'clicks' as I reloaded the weapon. Lt Ash had just caught up with me and was also re-arming himself, grabbing a Barrett 9mm and three smoke grenades.

"Here." He tossed me one smoke grenade, "It might be useful later."

"Thanks. I'll see you topside. Good luck."

As he reached the elevator he shouted back, "I'm not through with you yet! Once this is all over!" The closing elevator doors finally shut his voice off.

"Hey Kid! Over Here!" Corporal Farges was hollering over at me. I bounded over to where he was standing and noticed a door labeled 'Emergency Exit'.

"It leads strait to a concealed hatch on the surface. It'll give us a place to sneak up on the enemy."

"All right, but I'm going up first." I said as I began to step past him. But he held out his arm.

"And why is that?" He questioned raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"Cause I have this." I lifted my M-29 to give him a quick glance before looping the rifle's strap over my shoulder.

"Fine, fine. Be the crazy one."

Once he unbolted the one foot thick steel door I began my assent up an insanely high emergency escape tunnel with a steel ladder that was covered with a thin layer of rust. The tunnel itself was dimly lit by lights that were who knows how old.

"Tunnel sure could use some cleaning." I heard Farges say bellow me. His voice echoed inside the tunnel.

Almost two minutes of climbing later, we finally reached the top… well… ran into the steel hatch at the top.

"Damn it!" I cursed under my breath. My foot slipped and I nearly lost my grip on the ladder. "Fucking steel plate!"

Farges was snickering down bellow me. After regaining my balance I rubbed my throbbing head with my free hand.

"Hey, I love hanging out in old, rusty escape shafts as much as the next guy. But could you open up the hatch so we can fight these bastards already?"

My hands searched for the switch, and found a small button. There was a dull 'clink' as the latch unlocked and, surprisingly, opened up. The sounds of staccato weapons fire blasted into the shaft. I pulled my rifle off my back and poked it through the opening, keeping my eye on the monitor. No activity. I pulled myself up through and found the hatch was concealed by a thick patch of fir trees that allowed just enough light through their branches to see with.

My gazed drifted upward, "Farges, cover me I have an idea."

"Oh really? And should I even ask what it is?"

"Just cover my ass. All right?"

"Yes sir!" He mocked, crossing his eyes and giving the sorriest excuse for a salute that I had ever seen.

I reached out to the larger fir and grabbed onto some of its stronger branches and pulled myself up. I continued to climb the tree until I was about half way up its length, about thirty feet. The thick foliage would provide concealment from the enemy and I also had a prime view of the HQ, about one hundred yards to the north with the road forty yards to the east, and the forces engaged around it's perimeter. The scene was chaotic. Our machine gunners were unloading every round they had, the constant crack of sniper fire was endless, and grenades were detonating everywhere. The vehicles were useless in this situation since the trees made it impossible to maneuver them to the west side of the complex.

There was a rustling in the tree to the left of mine. I leveled my gun and Farges popped his head out of the tree to see the barrel of my rifle pointed in his face.

"Whoa hold on there! It's me. I thought you could use another sniper but when I come up here you're ready to shoot my face off."

I relaxed a bit a lowered my weapon, "Sorry about that, I just wasn't expecting the tree next to mine to move."

"So how's about we help our pals." He said coolly and shouldered his scoped M-4.

I leveled my own weapon and began scouring the area for targets. Eight Coalition marines were maneuvering to flank a platoon of resistance fighters entrenched in their firing pits… My platoon.

"Burnham, you've got a squad of soldiers maneuvering forty yards north of your position"

"Roger that. Glad you could join us."

"I wouldn't miss this for the world."

With that my sights returned to the enemy squad and found their leader, a Master Sergeant. The weapon kicked and the target collapsed on the spot. The others dashed for cover but were quickly dispatched by the combined fire of 1st platoon, Farges, and I. The sounds of combat began to subside as the tide of battle turned in our favor.

"Would you look at that, they're retreating! We've won!" Farges hooted.

"Wait … listen."

"I don't hear-" Farges began.

"Shh."

There was a low buzzing sound. As it became louder and more apparent, it was no longer buzzing but a thunderous beating that could only be caused by rotors.

"Oh Shit!" We said in perfect unison.

I scanned the sky, then saw them. Four Comanche attack helicopters. One branched off from formation and turned to face the trees we were using as cover. Its weapons bays swung open.

"Move it!" I screamed, "We have to get the hell off these trees!"

I nearly jumped to the ground, and looked up just n time to see the Comanche fire off two rockets.

"Damn it Farges! Hurry up and get down from there!"

The second he hit the ground, we began to run. Three seconds later… the rockets impacted…

* * *

**It's Me Again:** How's that for an ending. Will they survive? Well for those that don't remember, the 'Kid' has to since he is in the prologue, and the prologue is three years in the future. So everyone knows that he survives. But what about Farges? Hmm... what to do.


	10. Hey We're Not Dead!

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Freedom Fighters.

**My Notes: **Sorry about the long wait. I was um... unable to come up with... Ok I had writers block. but not any more. Expect new chapters maybe every other week or so. Again, sorry for the wait, and as always, R&R.

* * *

"A house divided against itself cannot stand." Abraham Lincoln June 16, 1856 

**January 16, 2014. 1600 hours En route to battle field**

4 LHX Comanche attack coppers were maneuvering over the forest tree line. they were heading for a major skirmish between allied CIS forces and hostile rebels. Apparently some scouts had stumbled across an old outpost in the wooded area maybe no more than 20 miles south of Willow Run Airfield which the CIS forces had captured and were now using as their forward airbase.

"This is Lynx 1 to all attack craft, we are approaching the target, repeat we are approaching the target."

"Lynx 1 this is air command, don't let a single one escape. They've caused us enough trouble already."

"Yes, Sir!… Alright you heard the man boys! All Lynx units proceed to the target, we are cleared to destroy everything so hit this place hard."

"Inbound helicopter squadron, this is Sergeant Collins of Omega squad, we have enemy snipers in the area but we can't determine their exact location due the thick forest growth obscuring our view. Can you take them out for us?"

"Will do Omega squad."

"Lynx 1 this is Lynx 3 permission to break off and use my infrared pod to find them."

"Roger that Lynx 3, permission granted, good hunting."

The third helo in the formation broke off, heading to Omega's last position. A small opening in its nose cone gave a faint red glow as the Forward Looking Infrared pod scanned the forest below for heat signatures.

Inside the cockpit the pilot filtered through the main screen.

"Ok where are you bastards," the FLIR pod scanned the area until it located two lone figures in the tree cover. "Found you… bye now bastards. Lynx 3, rockets away."

**

* * *

January 16, 2014. 1605 hours Rocket Impact Site **

It was cold, it was dark, my breath was coming on heavy and hard. I felt like I was just hit by a semi truck screaming down the highway at 70+ mp/h. It didn't help that I had a face full of snow either.

Something nudged my head. 'Damn, what's found me, might be Farges or one of those Coalition morons.' I was nudged again. 'Okay I'm getting up!' Once more I was nudged… Now I was irritated. I adjusted my arms and pushed myself up spitting our the snow clogging my mouth.

"Damn it stop do- holy shit!"

My hand darted for my side arm and snapped it up at what had been poking me earlier. It was one of the largest gray wolves I had ever seen! probably weighed 200 pounds. It scarred the crap out of me, and I would have shot it out of impulse had the safety not been active.

"Fuck."

The wolf however just stood there starring at me with it's beady little eyes. Then it turned around and took shelter underneath the cover of the collapsed trees.

I let out a sigh of relief, but I still kept an eye on the creature, no point in letting myself get attacked by the thing. It just sat there and watched me.

"HEY!"

"Hm!" I looked around, but spotted nothing but charred earth and debris.

"Up here!"

a stick was then thrown at my head.

"OUCH! Hey!" I looked up, and 10 feet above me Farges was sprawled upside down amongst the branches of a pine tree.

"I could use some help you know."

"Ha! Yeah sure. I'm coming"

_**Snap**_

I dove to the side under the fallen tree, away from the wolf and pulled out my side arm, this time making double sure that the safety was off. Two coalition Marines entered the clearing, weapons raised, searching the area.

"Hey Omar, look up there!"

"Ha ha! Should we leave him here or just shoot him?" That grabbed Farges' attention.

"What, wait no! You don't have to do that, I mean what good would it do you? Honestly, c-come on you don't have to do that!"

I raised my hand gun and sighted the first man in the chest. My finger just barely touching the trigger, 'Just try it.' I thought.

Farges was panicky up in the tree, while the two guards consulted on how to deal with the situation.

"Omar, I say we just kill the bastard now and get the hell out of here."

The other, Omar, shrugged, "Alright, he was starting to annoy me any way." He racked the bolt of his rifle, "you er me?"

"Hmmm…"

'To hell with this!' I thought. Bringing my weapon to bear on the called Omar, my finger just a hairs breath away from the trigger, then…

The wolf burst forth from the collapsed tree, snapping at the one behind Omar, clamping down on his arm holding his gun. He screamed in pain as the teeth sunk deeper into his flesh. His partner turned, raising his weapon to take a shot at the attacking creature. I was faster though, and let one shot rip through Omar at chest level, splattering his blood across the white snow. I fired one more round into the other soldier that was still struggling with the wolf, putting him out of his misery. The wolf, startled, scampered off into the forest.

"Phew." I looked up towards Farges, "You okay?"

"Looks like it!"

"Hey can you get down from there?"

I think so - Woa-"

Farges came loose from the tree and collapsed into the snow with a dull 'thump'. I cringed slightly, 'that ought to have hurt.' He pushed himself up, spitting out some snow.

"Damn! That was actually kinda fun." He started to laugh but was stopped by the sudden appearance of several more soldiers that had begun firing on our position.

"Oh shit! Move!"

I dove for my rifle, jumped behind the downed tree while fumbling for a grenade.

"Farges take cover!" I primed the grenade, counted to three, "Fire in the hole!" and let it fly.

Two seconds later the grenade detonated, peppering the trunk of the tree with shrapnel. I pulled myself out from behind the tree, Farges was jogging toward me.

"Damn man be more careful with those things. I just barely made it behind cover."

"Heh. Sorry bout that."

One of the helicopters roared overhead, blasting the snow all around us.

I activated my radio, "Hey! We need some one to take out that chopper!"

"Oh hey sergeant, it's Popovski. Yeah I'd love to do that if I only had a fucking anti air cannon!"

"Hey try the M1's missile battery! That the AA artillery you were talking about!"

Two more helos soared overhead chain guns blazing.

"Damn!" He yelled over the radio. "I'm on it!"

One minute later three missiles sot upward, turning most of the formation into bright orange fireballs.

"Yeah! Look at those bastards go!" Shouted Farges, while the last of the Comanche's fled away from the lethal anti-air battery. This battle was passing by way too easily, there were Choppers, but hardly any infantry or support of any kind. 'What's going on?' Then I saw them.

"Don't start celebrating yet! Enemy infantry on your left."

"What? Oh come on." He groaned, then moved closer under the cover of a fir tree to get a better view.

"Looks like about thirty of them. Damn they've got heavy weapons. Looks like rocket launchers."

I nearly shouted over the radio. "Everyone, a platoon of heavy infantry to the East by the road. Repeat, heavy infantry with anti vehicular weapons. I'm requesting reinforcements."

"We copy that - Agh Shit! Grenade! Take cover!" There was a short pause followed by an explosion. "Repeat we copy, this is Lt. Ash, we are encountering stiff resistance on our end, I think they've been trying to flank us! We're too busy with these hostiles to help you…"

The corporal looked at me, his face grim, and anxious.

"Sergeant, alright, I can send Bravo squad your way, but that's it. Lt. Ash out!"

"Yes Sir!" I said just before joining Farges with my rifle at the ready. I crouched low by the second fir to his left. He whispered.

"3 of them, they've got eight rocket launchers, 2 thirty cals., a sniper, a few SAWS, some M-4's with 203's attached. Damn heavy stuff if you ask me. He have any support?"

"Yeah, one team, that's it."

"That gives us what… three to one odds against us? Well then, let's get to work. wait fer my signal."

"Alrigh- hey wait! I'm the sergeant here! You wait for my signal!"

"Oh right, fine, sorry."

I rolled my eyes in annoyance, "I'll take out the thirty cals. you take out the rocket wielding ones. 3-2-1 go!"

I fired an airburst grenade, it detonated 90 yards away, right in the middle of them all. Shrapnel caught five of them. The shockwave knocked another 4, and the flames finished 7 more.

"Hey come on man that's not fair!" Farges whined.

"Who said anything about being fair?"

"Popovski, where the hell are ya!"

Bursts of gun fire from the tree line 30 yards north of us responded. The already disoriented troops scattered… well some of them did. About nine of their original number managed to escape into the woods and conceal themselves in the forest undergrowth.

"Hey I thought you said there were more!" Popovski shouted from behind me.

"Um, there were more."

More gun fire confirmed that just moments after I had spoken. Bravo squad dove for cover as bullets plowed the ground just feet away from us. Geysers of snow and soil rose and created a haze between our opposing forces, a "fog of war" I guess. The only way that we could be sure we were shooting in the right direction was from the muzzle flashes that spurted and flickered in the haze, giving us an idea of where our targets were.

"Get some grenades up here!"

"Popovski more over!"

"What the hell'r you doin?"

"Just move over."

I shouldered my rifle, switched the targeting mode to Impct. Grnd. and let the remaining three grenades in the clip fly in quick succession. Three explosions followed, and the incoming fire subsided.

"I think that got 'em. How's that for you!" I cheered.

"Right." Popovski responded then gestured four of his men forward to search for survivors.

"We got nothing sir!"

"Well then, nice shot _Kid_. Now-"

**BOOM! **

An immense explosion was heard behind us. It was in the direction of our HQ. I turned to see a pillar of smoke rising from the tree tops.

I keyed my radio, "What's going on Lt. Ash? What's the HQ's current status?" No response. "Shit!" I keyed my mike again. "Burnham! Bacero! Anyone, respond!" Only static greeted my ears…

* * *

**More Notes:** I hope you like the chapter, I know it's been a while but I hope that you enjoyed this chapter. 


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